Price of Rebellion

Numbers 16:29-33 KJV

If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me.  But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord .  And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:  And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.  They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

Very long one, but worth repeating here for emphasis. God's work calls for patience, long-suffering and perseverance, but there are times that his assignments may not make sense or may involve drastic measures. When a man does not understand the scope of his assignment, or forgets the limits of his call, ministry and assignment, he opens himself up to the sorrows associated with the passage just read.

Korah and his group felt that God could not be speaking to Moses alone. They may have also been involved in temple ministrations but they wanted the main thing. They were not content with the peripheral, they wanted to be the star attraction. How can a man seek to take glory for an assignment that he was called to carry out; an assignment that was not his own in the first place. Like Korah, we catch ourselves wishing we could have more visible ministries, and be more recognised, but there's one lesson that today's extract has taught me: God owns the work, determines its divisions, and understands just how best the gifts of each man will work together to achieve his ultimate purpose. I do not have a say in the matter, because truthfully, I cannot fully understand myself outside of the God who created me and gifted me my peculiar characteristics.

Very strong warning: God is the giver of gifts, he is the owner of destinies. He alone knows who best will achieve a set purpose. Envy, jealousy and hatred will do no good. Stay within his boundaries. His time of favour is here.